The ‘Cris’ Irish Flute Tutor
by Tony Clunis
(email: tony@clunis.com)
Here are some basics for the beginner. I am by no means a trained fluter but I have had the experience of getting some friends started on the thing and I will tell you what I told them.
First you will want to go to your favorite music store and purchase a pennywhistle (sometimes called a tin whistle). This is a cheap way to introduce yourself to Irish flute playing. Don’t pay any more than seven or ten dollars and try to get one in the key of "D". This is the most common home key for traditional Irish music. The tin whistle is recommended because it shares the same fingering as the Irish flute but it is a lot easier to play. I can usually get someone with a musical background playing Happy Birthday (or part of it) in the first lesson. Once you can play a few tunes on the whistle you are ready to tackle the Big Boy.
The main difference between the whistle and the flute is the way the sound is produced. The whistle uses a fipple and windway to focus the air on the edge for you. All you have to do is blow into it and -- voila -- there is your note. The flute has a hole in the head -- the embouchure hole that you blow across to aim the air at the edge and produce a sound. That is how it gets its organological name: cross-blown (or ‘transverse’) flute. The trick is to shape your mouth in such a way that you blow a small stream of air at the opposite edge of the hole. When the air hits this edge it splits. Part of the air stream continues over the hole and part of it goes into the instrument. This creates turbulence -- eddies that resonates up and down the inside of the flute, producing the sound. It is like blowing into a beer bottle. You have to get it at the right angle. Remember Bob and Doug Mackenzie?
Now that you can play a few tunes on the whistle it is time to try your flute. First you need to be able to hold it. The flute is held in a "V" you make with your left hand between the thumb and first finger. The right thumb supports the other end and the right little finger stabilizes the whole deal. It is hard to do at first and you may have cramping so take it easy. Switch back to whistle if it gets uncomfortable, because you don’t want to hurt yourself.
Start by covering all the holes with your fingers (see diagram). Most flutists use the pads of the tip joints of the fingers to cover the tone holes (I call them "tip players"). Some of us use the tip joints on the top (left hand) and the middle section of the fingers on the bottom (right hand) -- you may find this more comfortable if you are like me and started your musical career by playing the Great Scottish Highland Bagpipes. I will leave it up to you to decide which is best for you. The important thing to keep in mind is that you must cover the hole entirely. Any covered holes must be completely sealed (no pesky little leaks) in order for the instrument to ‘fire.’ If you are having problems in the beginning a good trick is to only use the left hand and leave the right hand off. This is another situation in which the whistle can help you to practice fingering and blowing separately.
Now that you can finger the instrument it is time to try getting some sound. Hold your lips together as though you are about to whistle. Place the flute against your bottom lip so that the near side of the embouchure hole makes contact with your lower lip. Blow. Good luck. Try moving your lips, tongue, and the instrument itself around gently until it fires. Keep trying -- you can do it!
At first, you will hyperventilate and get dizzy -- all beginners do. There. You’ve been warned -- if you fall down and kill the cat it’s not our fault. As you improve, your focus of the air stream will tighten, and you will be able to use tiny amounts of air at higher pressure. This will allow you to reach the high notes more easily, and it will keep you from blacking out.
Good Luck!
The ‘Cris’ flute is designed to be played right-handed -- the embouchure hole is not optimized on both sides. Thinking of the end with the embouchure hole and cork as the top or ‘head’ of the flute, have your left hand on top, and your right on the bottom. Each hand covers 3 holes, with the first 3 fingers. Your left hand little finger should be relaxed, waving freely around as you play. The right little finger helps to stabilize the instrument, so rest it comfortably next to the lowest hole.
In the fingering chart, the left hand is at the top, and the right at the bottom. A black circle is a closed hole (Finger on) and a white circle an open hole (finger off). Thus, the lowest note, at the beginning of the chart, is played with all holes covered.The little + sign under the higher notes is just to remind you to blow a little harder or tighter.
A last word: no one-page "tutor" will teach you to play an instrument well. If you can, get a teacher, a mentor, or just watch and listen to other players as much as you can. While it is relatively easy to start out, the sky is the limit -- you can spend a lifetime happily honing your skills and broadening your musical horizons.Enjoy!